The Monday Memo

Welcome to the home of the Monday Memo! In 2001, I began writing the Monday Memo in response to people who had heard my message but said they needed to hear more. They wanted more content to help them think through and then identify the purpose in their life, so I began writing a weekly entry to fill that need. My goal was to write six to eight paragraphs every week that focused on the topics of purpose and faith. Eventually I expanded the repertoire to include entries on creativity, goals, and leadership. Little did I know that the Monday Memo would still be going strong more than two decades later!

At first, I managed those who subscribed through Outlook, but before I knew it, I had 18,000 subscribers, and eventually my email program crashed under the "weight" of so many names and emails. Plus, it was a headache for me to manage the list—especially if someone wanted to unsubscribe. In 2006, I converted what I was doing to a blog format and have maintained that since then.

Eventually, I began gathering Memos of like theme into documents and turned them into books when they were long enough (a few are pictured here; all are available on Amazon). To date, I have published 15 books from Memo content with more coming, including my six-part Unlocking series (unlocking the power of your purpose, creativity, productivity, you, faith, and thinking). Now I have expanded my weekly entries to incorporate other themes, but purpose and creativity are still my main foci. I have told people as long as they keep reading, I will keep on writing.

If you check out the categories, I'm sure you will find themes and topics of interest that will help you be more purposeful, creative, and productive. I would estimate about 90% of the Memos are original, with some borrowed from the archives around the holidays or when I was traveling. I welcome your comments and questions, for writing and talking about purpose never gets tired. You can also subscribe to receive the Memo every week on the top right side of this page.

I invite you to check out the rest of my website for more video content on similar topics and you can also download my free mobile app to have that content at your fingertips when you have time to watch or listen. Thanks again for visiting and remember, "You have something to do that only you can do, something for you to be that only you can be. God wants you to know what it is, so if your heart is to hear, His heart is to speak." Enjoy your purpose quest and if I can be of service as you seek, please let me know.

Monday Memo 1148: Purpose Wisdom

If God appeared to you and asked you what you wanted Him to give you, what would you ask for? Money? A car? A house? A spouse? That actually happened to a young man as we read in 1 Kings 3:5: "That night the Lord appeared to him [Solomon] in a dream and asked him, “What would you like me to give you?"

Monday Memo 1147: Proverbs

Early in my walk with the Lord, someone shared some advice with me that changed my life: "There are 31 chapters in Proverbs. Read one chapter a day and you will finish the entire book in a month. Then start over again." I did that every month for many years and then I wrote and published two devotionals featuring a verse from Proverbs for every day of the year. Now fifty years later...

Monday Memo 1146: It's a Gift

Throughout this "Never Too Young for Purpose" series, we have looked at people and principles that will help you be a person of purpose, no matter your age. As you get older, however, you will need to make a living so you can earn money and pay your bills. God knows you need money so you can eat and have the other necessities of life, so He promised...

Monday Memo 1445: Get Ready

In this week's entry in our 'Never Too Young for Purpose' series, we look at one more lesson from the life of Esther. After Esther was made the queen, she soon discovered that there were some people who hated the Jews, but what they didn't know was that Esther herself was Jewish. These enemies lied to the king and tricked him into ordering that all the Jews were to be killed.

Monday Memo 1144: The Best You Can Be

Last week we began to look at the story of Esther in our 'Never Too Young for Purpose' series. Esther was a teenage orphan who was quite beautiful, so much so that she was chosen as a candidate to be the next queen. After she and others were selected for consideration, this is what happened:

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Daily Devotional

April 19, Praise and Worship

There is certainly nothing wrong with private devotionals in which you spend time worshiping and praising the Lord. The context of this passage, however, is for “us” to sing for joy, and that means a group of people worshiping in a corporate setting. Jesus gave His life for the church; it is the apple of His eye.

April 18, Walk in the Light

The word acclaim is not often used as a verb, but it means “to praise enthusiastically and often publicly.” What’s more, the people who acclaim the Lord and who walk in the light of His presence are called blessed. What does it mean to walk in God’s light? John explained it in his epistle when he wrote:

April 17, Price of Disobedience

Occasionally in the Psalms, it is the Lord speaking and not the psalmists themselves. In this passage, the Lord laments His people’s disobedience, reiterating His desire to help and deliver them if they would only listen to His voice. He had given them over to their stiff-necked ways, however, and they were not about to repent and turn to Him.

April 16, Worry

Israel saw many miracles as they left Egypt to enter the Promised Land. Yet each time they confronted a crisis, they had short-term memory loss and panicked, challenging the Lord to prove Himself again and again. They did not put their trust in Him and worried they would die in the Wilderness.

April 15, The Will of God

God is a God of guidance. If He wants you to do His will — and of course He does — then He must reveal to you what His will is. God is a great communicator and does not lack the means to reveal Himself to you. He can use His word, other people, or life’s circumstances.